Just wanted to use my power interposition to introduce myself since I have been getting such a kick from reading your blog and its archives - I love people, I really do - but mostly their abstract, pure thought self (most readily seen in their writings.)

Odd, I was just thinking the cover proved BETTY can look good in anything.

BTW, Scipio, you may be aware that a few covers of Pep Comics depict the Shield inflicting just, really, horrible SURREAL damage upon Archie. A few others depict Archie having vaguely homoerotic dreams about the Shield.

If you aren't aware of this, well, Now You Know. And Knowing Is at least one-fourth of the process of posting fun essays about such covers. :-)

Yes, and where Archie's a kite that the Shield is flying (#45), and where Archie's a fish that B&V catch and the Shield is laughing...laughing (#48)...and where the Shield is about to shatter a giant Archie ice statue with a blow to head (or that's it seems like to me) (#46). Given your comparative feelings about the Shield and Archie, I figured you'd find those interesting/comment-worthy.

#47 shows Archie dreaming that he's the Shield. #49 shows him daydreaming that he and the gang are at a swimming hole with the Shield. And there's #43, the one where Archie, Jughead, and the Shield are at a radio studio, and the Shield has an applause sign, and...frankly, I just didn't "get" it. All to be seen at comic. org Enjoy. :-)

Shield vanished from the cover of Pep after #50 (Sep 1944; they couldn't have at least let him hang around until the war was over?), never to return there, although he (or more likely his 1960s successor) did have a cameo on the cover of Jughead #132 (May 1966).

Oops. Until today's browsing I didn't realize you were covering Pep Comics issue by issue; I thought they were mostly randomly chosen covers. Since the former is the case, you've probably got the issues in question already lined up to be covered anyway. My apologies for being dense.